Erling Haaland has now been urged to "never go back" to the Ballon d'Or awards if he loses out to Lionel Messi later this year.
On Wednesday, France Football, the French publication that organises the prestigious accolade, revealed the 30 nominees who will go head to head to be crowned the best footballer in the world on 30 October, with Messi and Haaland front and centre on that list.
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The pair are believed to be the frontrunners to win the award this year, but former Premier League star-turned-pundit Craig Burley feels the Norwegian is the clear favourite.
While Burley acknowledged the Argentine's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, he stated that Haaland deserves the famous prize based on his performances with Manchester City and playing an integral part in helping them win the treble last season.
"If Erling Haaland doesn't win this, close the shop," Burley told ESPN.
"Lionel Messi won the World Cup and it's a great achievement, but it's a four-week period. His general league form was not the best. PSG were terrible.
"Erling Haaland? Over 50 goals, a Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. Erling Haaland should win this award.
"I know that a lot of people out there can’t get off the Messi bandwagon but look at the bigger picture.
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"There's going to be a lot of muppet journos voting for Messi. The big picture here is that Erling Haaland achieved everything over a long period of time.
"This award, like a few awards, drives me nuts but he's the one that deserves it, but I think, out there, it will be full of sentimental claptrap – Messi won the World Cup, Messi's this and Messi's that, and they will just hand him another one."
The former Chelsea and Celtic midfielder went on to advise the Norwegian to boycott the award if he does not win it in October.
"And if I was Erling Haaland, I would never go back to another Ballon d'Or in my life, same as Robert Lewandowski," he said.
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